Non-skid container

ABSTRACT

A non-skid container having a base portion including a flat portion and a plurality of studs, an outer bowl including a sidewall, a plurality of posts, a top opening, a bottom opening and a recess, wherein the posts are configured to be coupled to the studs, thereby coupling the outer bowl to the base portion and an inner bowl configured to be coupled to the outer bowl by inserting the inner bowl into the recess of the outer bowl.

PRIORITY CLAIM/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/101,093 entitled “Non-skid Container,” filed on Jan. 8, 2015, andU.S. Provisional Application 62/206,013 entitled “Non-skid Container,”filed on Aug. 17, 2015, the entirety of both applications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Bowls and containers are used for many purposes. Examples include petbowls that are used to hold water and food for dogs, cats, etc. Otherexamples include bowls that are used for preparing food such as mixingingredients, etc. A major drawback for these containers is that theytend to move as they are being used. Most dog owners have seen their dogpushing the food bowl around the floor trying to reach the last of thefood. Most pet owners have also accidentally kicked their pet's waterbowl causing the bowl to move and water to spill on the floor.Similarly, when a person is mixing ingredients in a bowl on a counter,for example, using a hand mixer, the bowl sometimes moves or slidesaround the counter causing problems or inconvenience for the person.

SUMMARY

A non-skid container having a base portion including a flat portion anda plurality of studs, an outer bowl including a sidewall, a plurality ofposts, a top opening, a bottom opening and a recess, wherein the postsare configured to be coupled to the studs, thereby coupling the outerbowl to the base portion and an inner bowl configured to be coupled tothe outer bowl by inserting the inner bowl into the recess of the outerbowl.

A non-skid container having a base portion including a force dissipatingcomponent, a coupler coupled to the base portion and a bowl coupled tothe coupler, such that a force exerted on the coupler or the bowl causesthe force dissipating component to rotate without causing the base partto move with respect to a surface on which the non-skid container isplaced.

A non-skid container having a container portion including a sidewall anda bottom surface and a non-skid bottom portion secured to the bottomsurface of the container portion, wherein the non-skid bottom portion isa low hardness material that when placed on a surface prevents lateralmovement of the non-skid container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a first exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a stud of a baseportion of the exemplary non-skid container.

FIG. 3 shows an assembled view of a first exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled first exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a second exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled second exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a third exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 8 shows an assembled view of a third exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled third exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 11 shows an assembled view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled fourth exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 13 shows an exploded view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 14 shows an assembled view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled fifth exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 16 shows a base portion of a sixth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled sixth exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 18 shows a seventh exemplary embodiment of a non-skid container.

FIG. 19 shows a cross-sectional view of the seventh exemplary embodimentof a non-skid container.

FIG. 20 shows a first bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 21 shows a second bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 22 shows a third bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 23 shows a fourth bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container.

FIG. 24 shows a fifth bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference tothe following description and the appended drawings, wherein likeelements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The exemplaryembodiments describe a non-skid container that may be used in anyapplication currently employing a standardized container or bowl, e.g.,pet bowl, mixing bowl, fruit bowl, cup, mug, child's bowl, etc. Thevarious exemplary embodiments show different designs for the non-skidcontainer. However, it should be understood that the features describedfor each of the exemplary embodiments may be combined with or usedindividually with features from other exemplary embodiments. Forexample, some exemplary embodiments will be described as having a splashguard, while other exemplary embodiments are not specifically describedas including a splash guard. It should be understood that the splashguard from one exemplary embodiment may be modified to be used with anexemplary embodiment that is not described as including a splash guard.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a first exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container 1. The non-skid container 1 includes a base portion10, an outer bowl 20, a ring 30, an inner bowl 40 and a splash guard 50.Each of these components will be described in greater detail below.

The base portion 10 is shown as having a generally circular shape with aflat portion 16 having a surface contacting area 11 that will come intocontact with any surface onto which the non-skid container 1 is placed.Those skilled in the art will understand that the base portion 10 is notrequired to be circular in shape, but may take on any shape that isconsistent with the design of the non-skid container. The diameter ofthe base portion 10 may be generally about the same size as the diameterof the non-skid container 1. However, the diameter of the base portion10 may vary to be larger or smaller than the diameter of the non-skidcontainer 1. Since the surface contacting area 11 is the portion of thenon-skid container 1 that comes into contact with surfaces, it is theportion of the non-skid container 1 that will have some of the non-skidcharacteristics. For example, the base portion 10 may be constructed ofany material that resists lateral movement of the non-skid container 1when in contact with a surface. In one example, the base portion 10 maybe constructed of low durometer rubber or plastic type material. Aspecific example may be a silicone-based product that has a durometerhardness (Shore A) of 25. It should be understood that this is only anexample and other hardness ranges and types of materials may be used forthe base portion 10. It should also be understood that the entirety ofthe base portion 10 does not need to be made of the same material. Forexample, the surface contacting area 11 may be constructed of thenon-skid material while other areas of the base portion 10 areconstructed of different types of materials or different hardness rangesof the same material.

The flat portion 16 of the base portion 10 also includes an upper face12 to which a plurality of studs 15 are integrally connected to the baseportion 10. In this example, there are three (3) studs 15. However,there may be any number of studs 15, including a single stud. The studs15 may be integrally connected to the upper face 12 in any known mannersuch as being molded as a single component, being sonically welded,being held with a mechanical fastener such as a screw or rivet, etc. Thestuds 15 may be constructed from the same type of material as the flatportion 13, e.g., rubber or plastic type material. However, it ispossible that the studs 15, while constructed from the same material,may be harder (e.g., as measured by durometer hardness) than thematerial used for the surface contacting area 11. In one example, thestuds 15 may be a silicone-based product that has a durometer hardness(Shore A) of 65. However, it should be understood that this is only anexample and other hardness ranges and types of materials may be used forthe studs 15. The studs 15 may also be constructed of a differentmaterial than the flat portion 13 of the base portion 10.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a stud 15 of abase portion 10 of the exemplary non-skid container 1. The stud 15includes a generally cylindrical center portion 60 that includes areceiving portion 65. Thus, the studs 15 may be considered as being afemale connecting portion that may receive a male connecting portion inreceiving portion 65. Those skilled in the art will understand that thestud 15 may also be configured as a male connecting part. As will bedescribed in greater detail below, the studs 15 will be used to connectthe base portion 10 to the outer bowl 20.

The stud 15 also includes ribs 70 to provide reinforcement for thestuds. As will also be described in greater detail below, when thenon-skid container 1 is placed on a surface, the longitudinal axis 75 ofthe stud 15 will be generally vertical and perpendicular to the surface.When a force is applied to the non-skid container 1, the studs 15 mayflex or bend. This flexing or bending may occur in various directionsdepending on the type and level of force applied to the non-skidcontainer 1. For example, the flexing or bending may occur in thedirection of arrow 76. In this example, the top portion of the stud 15will rotate downward with respect to the plane 77 where the stud 15 isattached to the flat portion 13 of the base portion 10. In anotherexample, the stud may rotate in the direction of arrow 78 with respectto the longitudinal axis 75. Those skilled in the art will understandthat the flexing, bending or rotation described with respect to arrows76 and 78 are only exemplary and there may be other types and/ordirections of movement that the studs undergo when a force is applied tothe non-skid container 1. Throughout the remainder of this description,the flexing, bending or rotation of the studs 15 will be referred to as“rotating” or “rotation,” but it should be understood to mean any of thedescribed movement of the studs 15.

The ribs 70 provide reinforcement such that the studs 15 absorb ordiffuse the force and come back into alignment along the originallongitudinal axis 75. In one exemplary embodiment, the stud 15 has fourribs 70 at the four orthogonal directions around the cylindrical centerportion 60 (only two are shown in the plan view of FIG. 2). In anotherexemplary embodiment, eight (8) ribs are distributed equidistantlyaround the periphery of the cylindrical center portion 60. However,those skilled in the art will understand that more or less ribs 70 maybe used to reinforce the stud 15. In addition, those skilled in the artwill understand that the ribs 70 may take a different shape to reinforcethe stud 15.

Returning to FIG. 1, the base portion 10 also includes a handle 17. Whenthe non-skid container 1 is assembled and placed on a surface, thehandle 17 may be used to lift the base portion 10 from the surface,thereby removing the non-skid container 1 from the surface. Thoseskilled in the art will understand that the base portion 10 (surfacecontacting area 11, upper face 12, studs 15 and handle 17) may be moldedas a single component or may be constructed from separate components.

The non-skid container 1 also includes the outer bowl 20. The outer bowl20 may be constructed of any type of material such as melamine, plastic,stainless steel, rubber, ceramic, etc. In the example of FIG. 1, thediameter of the outer bowl 20 is generally the same as the diameter ofthe base portion 10. The outer bowl 20 includes a sidewall comprising anouter wall 21 and an inner wall 22. The outer bowl 20 has a generallytapered cylindrical shape with a top opening 23 and a bottom opening 24.The generally tapered cylindrical shape formed by the sidewall resultsin a recess 27 within the outer bowl 20. There is a cutout portion inthe outer bowl 20 to accommodate the handle 17 of the base portion whenthe non-skid container 1 is assembled. In the area of the top opening23, a support surface 25 is provided. A top area of the support surface25 provides an area to support the ring 30 and the inner bowl 40 whichwill be described in greater detail below.

In addition, a bottom area of the support surface 25 provides an areafrom which posts 26 extend. The posts 26 may be constructed of the samematerial as the remainder of the outer bowl 20 or may also beconstructed from a different material than the outer bowl 20, e.g., thesame material as the base 10 or the studs 15. As shown in this example,the posts 26 are male connecting members and are arranged in a mannerthat corresponds to the studs 15. As shown in FIG. 1 by the dashedlines, the posts 26 may be inserted into the studs 15 to connect thebase portion 10 to the outer bowl 20. Thus, the number of posts 26 maycorrespond to the number of studs 15, but it is not a requirement. It iscontemplated that the components of the first exemplary embodiment ofthe non-skid container 1 (e.g., the base portion 10, the outer bowl 20,the inner bowl 40, etc.) are separable from each other. Thus, thecoupling of the posts 26 of the outer bowl 20 to the studs 15 of thebase portion 10 may form a releasable coupling between the base portion10 and the outer bowl 20. However, the coupling may also be a permanentconnection such that once the posts 26 are inserted into the studs 15,the base portion 10 and the outer bowl 20 are permanently connected,e.g., can only be separated by breaking the posts 26 and/or the studs15. Also, as described above, if the studs 15 are configured as maleconnecting members, the posts 26 may be configured as female connectingmembers. Similar to the studs 15, the posts 26 may be integrallyconnected to the support surface 25 in any known manner such as beingmolded as a single component, being sonically welded, being held with amechanical fastener such as a screw or rivet, etc.

The non-skid container 1 also includes the inner bowl 40 and the ring30. As described above, the ring 30 may rest on the upper area of thesupport surface of the outer bowl 20 and a lip 41 of the inner bowl 40may rest upon the ring 30. Thus, in the assembled position, a body 42 ofthe inner bowl 40 is inserted into the recess 27 within the outer bowl20. The inner bowl 40 is the vessel for holding contents, e.g., water orother liquids, pet food, food, fruit, etc. The inner bowl 40 may alsoinclude a tab 43 that may be used to remove the inner bowl 40 from therecess 27 of the outer bowl 20. Thus, if the contents of the inner bowl40 need to be poured out or refilled (e.g. new water for a pet), theentire non-skid container 1 does not have to be moved. Rather, the innerbowl 40 may be removed, filled and then replaced back into the assemblednon-skid container. The inner bowl 40 may be constructed of any materialsuch as stainless steel, melamine, plastic, rubber, ceramic, etc.

The ring 30 may be constructed of any type of material such as silicone,plastic, rubber, etc. In one example, the ring 30 may be asilicone-based product that has a durometer hardness (Shore A) of 65.However, it should be understood that this is only an example and otherhardness ranges and types of materials may be used for the ring 30. Thering 30 provides support between the outer bowl 20 and inner bowl 40 andseals the recess 27 of the outer bowl 20 so that the contents of theinner bowl 40 do not leak into the recess 27. It should be noted thatthe ring 30 may be connected to the support surface 25 of the outer bowl20 in different manners than just resting on the support surface 25. Forexample, the ring 30 may have a U-shape such that it snaps onto thesupport surface 25 such that one leg of the U-shape contacts the toparea of the support surface 25 and the other leg of the U-shape contactsthe bottom area of the support surface 25. This example of ring 30 isshown in FIG. 4, which will be described in greater detail below.

The non-skid container 1 also includes the splash guard 50 which may beconstructed of any material such as plastic, polypropylene, apolycarbonate, etc. The splash guard 50 may be configured to snap onto arim of the inner bowl 40 to resist splashing and spilling of thecontents of the inner bowl 40. In another exemplary embodiment, thesplash guard 50 and the inner bowl 40 may form a unitary piece. In suchan embodiment, the splash guard 50 and the inner bowl 40 may beconstructed of the same material. The operation of the splash guard 50will be described in greater detail below.

FIG. 3 shows an assembled view of a first exemplary embodiment of thenon-skid container 1. As described above, the posts 26 (not shown inFIG. 3) of the outer bowl 20 are inserted into the studs 15 (not shownin FIG. 3) of the base portion 10 to couple the base portion 10 to theouter bowl 20. The ring 30 is inserted onto the support surface 25 ofthe outer bowl 20 and the inner bowl 40 is placed onto the ring 30. Thesplash guard 50 is then inserted onto the rim of the inner bowl 40 toresult in a fully assembled non-skid container 1. This embodiment of thenon-skid container 1 allows the different components to be disassembledand cleaned individually.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled first exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container 1. In this view, the posts 26 of theouter bowl 40 are inserted into the studs 15 of the base portion 10 tocouple the base portion 10 to the outer bowl 40. The ring 30 is insertedonto the support surface 25 of the outer bowl 20. The ring 30 in thisembodiment is of the U-shape design described above. The lip of theinner bowl 40 is placed onto the ring 30 and the inner bowl 40 is in therecess 27 of the outer bowl 20. The splash guard 50 is then insertedonto the rim of the inner bowl 40 to result in a fully assemblednon-skid container 1. It should be noted that in the example of FIG. 4,the top of the splash guard 50 or the top of the outer bowl 40 are notparallel to the surface on which the a non-skid container 1 is placed.While this is not a requirement of the non-skid container 1, the slighttilt may allow for easier access to the content of the outer bowl 40.

When assembled, the non-skid container 1 may be placed on a surface suchthat the bottom surface 11 of the base portion 10 contacts the surface.If a force is exerted on the non-skid container 1 from the side (e.g.,in the direction of arrow 80), the outer bowl 20 and the inner bowl 40will deflect. This deflection is caused by the rotation of the studs 15of the base portion 10. As described above, the studs 15, as a result ofthe applied force, will rotate, thereby causing a deflection of theouter bowl 20 and the inner bowl 40. Specifically, the studs 15 willrotate to diffuse the force. Because the posts 26 are inserted into thestuds 15, the posts 26 will move in the direction of the rotation. Sincethe posts 26 are part of the outer bowl 20, the outer bowl 20 will alsomove in the direction of the rotation. The ring 30, inner bowl 40 andsplash guard 50, which are either directly or indirectly, coupled to theouter bowl 20 will therefore also move in the direction of the rotation.The amount of rotation will be based on the stiffness of the studs 15(e.g., the hardness of the material) and the amount of force. However,the force is absorbed or diffused by the studs 15 rotating and nottransferred to the flat portion 13 of the base portion 10. Thus, theforce does not cause the base portion 10 to move with respect to thesurface on which the non-skid container 1 is sitting. Therefore, a forcefrom the side (e.g., in the direction of arrow 80) does not cause thenon-skid container 1 to move.

As also described above, the stiffness of the studs 15 will cause thestuds to absorb or diffuse the force and come back into alignment alongthe original longitudinal axis 75. Thus, the outer bowl 20, the ring 30,the inner bowl 40 and the splash guard 50 will also move back to theiroriginal position. Since the base portion 10 will remain stationary withrespect to the surface on which it is placed, the force 80 will resultin no movement by the non-skid container 1 with respect to the surface.

For example, if the non-skid container 1 is a dog bowl, the force thatthe dog exerts on the non-skid container 1 when eating or drinking willnot cause the non-skid container 1 to move across the floor. In anotherexample, if the pet owner accidentally kicks the non-skid container 1,the non-skid container 1 will not cause the contents of the inner bowl40 to spill all over the floor. It should be noted that while the forceis shown as being exerted in the direction 80 that is generally parallelto the surface on which the non-skid container 1 is placed andperpendicular to the longitudinal axis 75 of the studs 15, it should beunderstood that the force may not always be exerted in exactly thismanner. For example, when a person kicks the bowl, their foot may becoming down (e.g., exerting a force in the downward direction as shownby arrow 85) or coming up (e.g., exerting a force in the downwarddirection as shown by arrow 90). Again, these are also only examples, asthe force may be exerted at any angle on the outer bowl 20. However,regardless of the direction and angle of the exerted force, the studs 15will rotate to absorb or diffuse the force as described above. Thus, thenon-skid container 1 will react in the same manner, it will not moverelative to the surface on which it is placed.

Furthermore, the force does not need to be exerted onto the outer bowl20. In the example of the dog eating, the dog's snout may be pressed upagainst the inside of the inner bowl 40. Thus, the force is exerted ontothe inner bowl 40 rather than the outer bowl 20. Similarly, there may bea force applied to the splash guard 50 or any other exposed component ofthe non-skid container 1. Regardless of where the force is exerted, itshould be understood that studs 15 will absorb or diffuse this force byrotating as described above and the non-skid container 1 will not moverelative to the surface on which it is placed.

It should be noted that the surface on which the non-skid container 1 isplaced may be any type of surface. For example, the surface may be anyflooring material such as ceramic tile, wood, concrete, engineeredflooring (wood based or synthetic based), etc. In another example, thesurface may be a countertop or table. Thus, the surface may be wood,ceramic, granite, glass, engineered countertop material (e.g., Formica,Corian, etc.).

As described above, when a force is applied to the non-skid container 1(e.g., force in the direction of arrow 80), the outer bowl 20 and theinner bowl 40 will be deflected and then move back to their originalposition. However, it will be appreciated that this deflection may causethe contents of the inner bowl 40 to move. For example, if the contentsof the inner bowl 40 are liquid, it may cause a wave to move back andforth across the bowl. This wave, if big enough, may cause some of thecontents to spill onto the surface. The splash guard 50 is designed toprevent such spillage. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the splash guardextends from an outer edge 52 (which is positioned over the lip of theinner bowl 40) to an inner edge 51 (which is positioned over an upperopening of the inner bowl 40). Thus, the splash guard 50 partiallycovers the upper opening of the inner bowl 40. If such a wave iscreated, instead of splashing over the lip of the inner bowl 40, thewave hits the splash guard 50 and the contents are prevented fromspilling out of the inner bowl 40. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that the splash guard will also work in the same generalmanner if the contents of the inner bowl 40 are non-liquid, such as petfood. In addition, it should be understood that the splash guard 50should be sized such that while preventing spillage, the splash guard 50still allows access to the inner bowl 40, e.g., a pet may still eat ordrink from the inner bowl 40, a person may still easily access thecontents of the inner bowl 40, etc.

Finally, while the non-skid container 1 is designed to not move relativeto a surface on which it is placed, the handle 17 of the base portion 10is designed to be used to pick up the non-skid container when a userwants to move the non-skid container 1 relative to the surface. Thehandle 17 is designed such that the user may pick up the base portion 10and any connected components by lifting in a generally verticaldirection with respect to the surface. This will cause the flat surfacecontacting area 11 to disengage from the surface and allow the non-skidcontainer 1 to be moved.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a second exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container 90. The non-skid container 90 is similar to thenon-skid container 1 in that it includes the components of a baseportion 10, an outer bowl 20, a ring 30, an inner bowl 40 and a splashguard 50. As each of these components was described in detail above, nofurther description will be provided, except where the embodiment variesfrom the above exemplary embodiment.

In this exemplary embodiment, it is contemplated that the outer bowl 20will be constructed of metal (e.g., steel, stainless steel, aluminum,etc.). It should be noted that the outer bowl 20 of the first embodimentmay also be constructed of metal. In this exemplary embodiment, theposts 26 are not connected to the support surface 25 of the outer bowl20. Rather, this embodiment includes a support ring 92 that is attachedto the inner wall 22 of the outer bowl 20. The support ring 92 may beattached to the inner wall 22 in any known manner, e.g., spot welded,mechanical fasteners, etc. The support ring may include a plurality ofholes 93 that correspond to the studs 15 of the base portion 10. Theholes 93 may be lined up with the studs 15 and the posts 26 may then beinserted through the holes 93 into to the studs 15. Thus, the baseportion 10 may be coupled to the outer bowl 20 in this manner.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled second exemplaryembodiment of a non-skid container 90. As shown in this FIG. 6, thesupport ring 90 is coupled to the inner wall 22 of the outer bowl 20.The posts 26 are inserted through the holes of the support ring 92 intothe studs 15 of the base portion 10. The principle of operation, e.g.,the rotation of the studs 15 in reaction to an applied force on thenon-skid container 90, is the same as described above for the non-skidcontainer 1.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a third exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container 100. The non-skid container 100 is a 4-partcontainer. The base portion 110 is configured to be the bottom of thecontainer that contacts the surface (e.g., the floor, counter top, etc.)on which the non-skid container 100 is to be placed. The base potion 110may be constructed from a rubber or plastic type material. A specificexample may be a silicone-based product that has a durometer hardness(Shore A) of 70. It should be understood that this is only an exampleand other hardness ranges (e.g., a range of 20-100 hardness) and typesof materials may be used for the base portion 110.

The base portion 110 includes a flat portion 113 and a plurality ofstuds 115 that are integrally connected to the flat portion 113. Thoseskilled in the art will understand that the base portion 110 (flatportion 113 and studs 115) may be molded as a single component. In thisexample, there are three (3) studs 115. However, there may be any numberof studs 115, including a single stud. The studs 115 may be similar tothe studs 15 described above. The diameter of the flat portion 113 maybe generally about the same size as the diameter of the non-skidcontainer 100. However, the diameter of the flat portion 113 may vary tobe larger or smaller than the diameter of the non-skid container 100.

The non-skid container 100 further includes a coupler 120 that isconfigured to be coupled to the base portion 110. The coupler 120includes posts 125 that may be similar to the posts 26 described above.In this example, the posts 125 of the coupler 120 may be inserted intothe studs 115 of the base portion 110. The coupler 130 may bepermanently or releasably connected to the base portion 110. The coupler120 may be constructed of any type of material such as plastic,stainless steel, rubber, ceramic, etc.

The non-skid container 100 further includes an outer bowl 130 that isconfigured to be connected to the coupler 120. The connection betweenthe coupler 120 and the outer bowl 130 is such that the outer bowl 130does not touch the base portion 110. For example, FIG. 8 shows anassembled non-skid container 100 that includes a gap between the bottomedge 135 of the outer bowl 130 and the base portion 110. The outer bowl130 may be constructed of any type of material such as plastic,stainless steel, rubber, ceramic, etc.

The non-skid container 100 further includes an inner bowl 140 that isconfigured to be inserted into the outer bowl 130 such that the innerbowl 140 may be removed without moving the remaining parts of thenon-skid container 100. Again, referring to the assembled non-skidcontainer 100 of FIG. 8, the inner bowl 140 is shown as being insertedinto the outer bowl 130. In this example, an edge of the inner bowl 140engages with an edge of the outer bowl 130 to support the inner bowl140. The inner bowl 140 may be constructed of any type of material suchas plastic, stainless steel, rubber, ceramic, etc.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of an assembled non-skid container100 including the base portion 110, the coupler 120, the outer bowl 130and the inner bowl 140. When assembled, the non-skid container 100 maybe placed on a surface such that a bottom surface of the base portion110 contacts the surface. If a force is exerted on the non-skidcontainer 100 from the side (e.g., in the direction of arrow 150), theouter bowl 130, the inner bowl 140 and the coupler 120 will deflect.This deflection is caused by a rotation of the studs 115 of the baseportion 110 in a similar manner as was described above for the firstexemplary embodiment. In other words, the studs 115, as a result of theapplied force, will rotate, thereby causing a deflection of the outerbowl 130, the inner bowl 140 and the coupler 120. The amount of rotationwill be based on the stiffness of the studs (e.g., the hardness of thematerial) and the amount of force. However, the force is absorbed ordiffused by the studs 115 rotating and not transferred to the flatportion 113 of the base portion 110. Thus, the force does not cause thebase portion 110 to move with respect to the surface on which the baseportion 110 is sitting. Therefore, a force from the side does not causethe non-skid container 100 to move. For example, if the non-skidcontainer 100 is a dog bowl, the force that the dog exerts on thenon-skid container 100 when eating or drinking will not cause thenon-skid container to move across the floor.

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container 200. The non-skid container 200 is a 3-partcontainer. The base portion 210 is similar in construction to the baseportion 110 described above for the non-skid container 100. The non-skidcontainer 200 further includes a coupler 220 that is configured to beconnected to the base portion 210. The coupler 220 may include posts(not shown) similar to the posts 125 described above for the coupler 120of the non-skid container 100. The posts may be inserted into the studs215 to couple the base portion 210 to the coupler 220. However, in afurther exemplary embodiment, the coupler 220 may not include posts.Rather, the studs 215 may be sized such that the studs 215 engage theinner walls of the coupler 220 and are coupled by a friction fit.Referring to FIG. 12, the studs 215 may engage the inside walls 221 and222 of the coupler 220. In addition, where such a friction fit is used,the studs 215 may be shaped in a different manner to more securelyengage the inner walls 221 and 222.

In this exemplary embodiment, the coupler 220 is configured to receive abowl 230 within the coupler 220, in contrast to the embodiment describedabove where the coupler 120 is connected to the outer bowl 130. That is,the bowl 230 is inserted into the coupler 220 without the need for anouter bowl. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, the bowl 230 is moresimilar to the inner bowl 140 of the non-skid container 100, e.g., thebowl 230 and the inner bowl 140 are the components that will hold thecontents of the non-skid container such as food or liquid.

FIG. 11 shows an assembled view of the non-skid container 200 having thebase portion 210, the coupler 220 and the bowl 230. FIG. 12 shows across-sectional view of the non-skid container 200 having the baseportion 210, the coupler 220 and the bowl 230. Similar to theembodiments described above, a force exerted on the side of the bowl 230will cause the studs 215 of the base part 210 to rotate and the bowl 230and coupler 220 to deflect, but the base portion 210 will not move withrespect to the surface on which the non-skid container 200 is placed.Unlike the non-skid container 100, the coupler 220 of the non-skidcontainer 200 is exposed. Thus, a force may also act upon the coupler220. The non-skid container 200 will react to this force in the samemanner as described above if the force was exerted on the bowl 230.

FIG. 13 shows an exploded view of a fifth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container 300. The non-skid container 300 is a 3-partcontainer. The base portion 310 is similar in construction to the baseportion 110 described above for the non-skid container 100. The non-skidcontainer 300 further includes a coupler 320 that is configured to beconnected to the base portion 310. The coupler 320 is similar inconstruction to the coupler 120 described above for the non-skidcontainer 100. However, in contrast to the 3-part container 200described above, in this exemplary embodiment the coupler 320 isconfigured to receive a bowl 330 such that an outer wall 337 of the bowl330 is outside the coupler 320, e.g., when assembled, the coupler 320 isnot visible, except through a cutout 335.

FIG. 14 shows an assembled view of the non-skid container 300 having thebase portion 310 and the bowl 330, as the coupler 320 is only visiblethrough the cutout 335 in the bowl 330. The cutout 335 may be used toremove the bowl 330 from the ring portion 320.

FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled non-skid container300 having the base portion 310, the coupler 320 and the bowl 330. Asshown in this view, the bowl 330 essentially includes the inner bowl 140and the outer bowl 130 of the above-described embodiment as a singleintegral component. Thus, the coupler 320 may engage an inside of bothan inner wall 331 and an outer wall 332 of the bowl 330.

Similar to the embodiments described above, a force exerted on the sideof the bowl 330 will cause the studs 315 of the base portion 310 torotate and the bowl 330 and coupler 320 to deflect, but the base part310 will not move with respect to the surface on which the non-skidcontainer 200 is placed.

FIG. 16 shows a base portion 400 of a sixth exemplary embodiment of anon-skid container. The base portion 400 includes a flat portion 410that is similar in construction to the flat portion 110 described abovefor the non-skid container 100. However, unlike the previous embodimentsof the base portions, this base portion 410 does not have studs, butrather has a circular ridge 420. In this example, the circular ridge 420has a step design including a first riser 421, a first step 422 and asecond riser 423. The circular ridge 420 is shown as having threedistinct portions 425, 426 and 427. However, it should be understoodthat the circular ridge 420 may have more or less portions and may alsobe a single continuous ridge. The circular ridge 420 performs the samefunctionality as the studs, e.g., the circular ridge 420 will bendwithout causing a force on the flat portion 410 of the base portion 400.Thus, similar to the examples described above, the flat portion 410 maybe constructed from a first material having a lower hardness than asecond material used for the circular ridge 420. Although, this is onlyan example, and the material used to construct the flat portion 410 andthe circular ridge 420 may be the same. Accordingly, the studs of theprevious embodiments and the circular ridge of the current embodimentmay be referred to as force dissipating components.

FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view of an assembled non-skid container440 having the base portion 400 and a bowl 430 (shown in phantom). Asshown in this example, the bowl 430 is sized such that it fits snugglyinto the area between the inside of the first riser 421. In addition,the bowl 430 includes a first lip 431 that rests on the first step 422of the circular ridge 420. In this example, the bowl 430 does notcontact the second riser 423. However, this is not a requirement. When aforce is exerted on the bowl 430, the circular ridge 420 will bend andabsorb the force in the same manner as was described above for thestuds. Thus, the principle of operation of the non-skid container 440 issimilar to the embodiments described above, just the mechanism used toabsorb or dissipate the force is different.

FIG. 18 shows a seventh exemplary embodiment of a non-skid container500. The non-skid container 500 includes an upper container portion 510and a bottom non-skid portion 540. The upper container portion 510 maybe any type of container that is used to hold liquids or solids. Forexample, the upper container portion 510 may be a water bowl for a pet,a mixing bowl, a cup, a mug, a child's bowl, etc. The upper containerportion 510 may be made from any material commonly used to make suchcontainers, such as stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic, plastic, etc.Thus, the upper container portion 510 includes a sidewall 515, an upperrim 520 that surrounds an upper opening 525 and a bottom surface 530.

The bottom non-skid portion 540 is attached to the bottom surface 530 ofthe upper container portion 510. The attachment of the bottom non-skidportion 540 to the bottom surface 530 may be effected in any mannerknown in the art for the specific materials that are used to constructthe bottom non-skid portion 540 and the upper container portion 510. Thebottom non-skid portion 540 may be made of any material that resistslateral movement of the non-skid container 500 when in contact with asurface. In one example, the bottom non-skid portion 540 may beconstructed low durometer rubber or plastic type material. A specificexample may be a silicone-based product that has a durometer hardness(Shore A) of 10±0.5. It should be understood that this is only anexample and other hardness ranges and types of materials may be used forthe bottom non-skid portion 540.

FIG. 19 shows a cross-sectional view of the non-skid container 500.Similar to the view of FIG. 18, FIG. 19 shows the upper containerportion 510 including the sidewall 515 and the upper rim 520 thatsurrounds the upper opening 525. In addition, FIG. 19 shows an interiorwall 535 of the upper container portion 510. FIG. 19 also shows thebottom surface 530 of the upper container portion 510 to which thebottom non-skid portion 540 is attached. In this view, it can be seenthat the bottom non-skid portion 540 has an upper side 545, which is incontact with the bottom surface 530. The bottom non-skid portion 540also includes a lower side 550. When the non-skid container 500 isplaced on a surface 560, the lower side 550 contacts the surface 560.

To provide some examples, the non-skid container 500 may be a water bowlfor a dog that is normally placed on the floor when filled. Thus, thesurface 560 may be any flooring material such as ceramic tile, wood,concrete, engineered flooring (wood based or synthetic based), etc. Inanother example, the non-skid container 1 may be a mixing bowl that isnormally placed on a countertop or table when in use. Thus, the surface560 may be wood, ceramic, granite, glass, engineered countertop material(e.g., Formica, Corian, etc.).

In FIG. 19, a force in the lateral direction on the non-skid container500 is indicated by lateral arrow 570. A normal container subject tosuch a lateral force would slide along the surface 560. Referring to theexamples from above, everyone is familiar with a dog sliding a bowlalong the floor when eating or drinking or a mixing bowl moving on thecountertop as a person is attempting to mix ingredients. This movementis the result of a lateral force being exerted on the bowl and causesannoyance and inconvenience for the dog or the chef It is noted that avertical force as indicated by the arrow 580 may also be exerted on thebowl. However, the vertical force may be in the up direction or downdirection. When in the up direction, a person is normally attempting tolift the bowl. When in the down direction, the person (or animal) istypically performing some function related to the bowl (e.g., eating,mixing, etc.). However, these vertical forces contribute little tocausing the bowl to slide along the surface 560.

The bottom non-skid portion 540, when resting on the surface 560,resists movement in the lateral direction caused by a lateral forceexerted on the non-skid container 500. Specifically, the material usedto construct the bottom non-skid portion 540 adheres to the surface 560such that when a force is applied in the lateral direction (e.g., in thedirection of arrow 570), the bottom non-skid portion 540 prevents thenon-skid container 500 from moving on surface 560 (e.g., sliding on thefloor). However, since the adherence between the surface 560 and thebottom non-skid portion 540 is a dispersive adhesive force, when a userdesires to lift the non-skid container 500 (e.g., applies a force in thevertical direction as shown by arrow 580), the non-skid container 500lifts up easily. In one embodiment, the bottom non-skid portion 540 mayinclude a tab to allow the user to apply the vertical force to lift upthe non-skid container 500.

FIG. 20 shows a first bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container 500. In this embodiment, the bottom non-skid portion540 is coextensive with the bottom surface 530 of the upper containerportion 510. The bottom surface 530 is not shown in FIG. 20 because itis hidden behind the bottom non-skid portion 540. That is, the diameterd of the bottom non-skid portion 540 is equal to the diameter of thebottom surface 530.

FIG. 21 shows a second bottom view of the seventh embodiment of anon-skid container 500. The embodiment of FIG. 21 is identical to theembodiment of FIG. 20, except that the bottom non-skid portion 540includes a tab 542 that extends outside the perimeter of the bottomsurface 530. As described above, the tab 542 may be used to allow theuser to apply the vertical force to break the adhesive force between thebottom non-skid portion 540 and the surface 560.

FIG. 22 shows a third bottom view of the seventh embodiment of thenon-skid container 500. In this embodiment, the bottom non-skid portion540 has a larger diameter d than the diameter d₁ of the bottom surface530 (shown in dashed lines). Thus, the bottom non-skid portion 540extends outside the perimeter of the bottom surface 530 and forms askirt on the bottom of the non-skid container 500.

FIG. 23 shows a fourth bottom view of the seventh embodiment of thenon-skid container 500. In this embodiment, the bottom non-skid portion540 is an annular ring. That is the outside diameter d of the bottomnon-skid portion 540 is equal to the diameter of the bottom surface 530.However, the bottom non-skid portion 540 does not extend to the centerof the bottom surface 530 and does not completely cover the bottomsurface 530.

FIG. 24 shows a fifth bottom view of the seventh embodiment of thenon-skid container 500. In this embodiment, the bottom non-skid portion540 has a smaller diameter d than the diameter of the bottom surface530.

It should be noted that features described for the above exemplaryembodiments are not exclusive and may be mixed and matched to thedifferent embodiments. For example, the tab 542 of FIG. 21 may beapplied to any of the embodiments of FIGS. 22-24, the annular ring ofFIG. 23 may be applied as a skirt such as shown in FIG. 22, etc.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the present invention, without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that thepresent invention cover the modifications and variations of thisinvention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-skid container, comprising: a base portionincluding a flat portion and a plurality of studs, wherein at least oneof the plurality of studs includes a rib that reinforces the stud; anouter bowl including a sidewall, a plurality of posts, a top opening, abottom opening and a recess, wherein the posts are configured to becoupled to the studs, thereby coupling the outer bowl to the baseportion; and an inner bowl configured to be coupled to the outer bowl byinserting the inner bowl into the recess of the outer bowl.
 2. Thenon-skid container of claim 1, further comprising: a splash guardconfigured to be coupled to the inner bowl, wherein an inner edge of thesplash guard extends over a top opening of the inner bowl.
 3. Thenon-skid container of claim 1, wherein the base portion is constructedof a silicone material.
 4. The non-skid container of claim 3, whereinthe silicone material has a durometer hardness (Shore A) of
 25. 5. Thenon-skid container of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of studsincludes the rib that reinforces the stud.
 6. The non-skid container ofclaim 5, wherein each of the plurality of studs comprises four ribsdistributed equidistantly around the periphery of the cylindrical centerportion.
 7. The non-skid container of claim 5, wherein each of theplurality of studs comprises eight ribs distributed equidistantly aroundthe periphery of the cylindrical center portion.
 8. The non-skidcontainer of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of studs isconfigured as one of a male connecting member or a female connectingmember and each of the posts are configured as an other one of the maleconnecting member or the female connecting member.
 9. The non-skidcontainer of claim 1, wherein the posts are one of releaseably orpermanently coupled to the studs.
 10. The non-skid container of claim 1,wherein the base portion further comprises a handle for lifting thenon-skid container.
 11. A non-skid container, comprising: a base portionincluding a flat portion and a plurality of studs, wherein the pluralityof studs are configured to rotate when a force is applied to thenon-skid container; an outer bowl including a sidewall, a plurality ofposts, a top opening, a bottom opening and a recess, wherein the postsare configured to be coupled to the studs, thereby coupling the outerbowl to the base portion; and an inner bowl configured to be coupled tothe outer bowl by inserting the inner bowl into the recess of the outerbowl.
 12. The non-skid container of claim 11, wherein, in response tothe force, the flat portion does not move with respect to a surface onwhich the non-skid container is placed.
 13. The non-skid container ofclaim 12, wherein the force is absorbed or diffused by the studs. 14.The non-skid container of claim 11, wherein a rotation of the pluralityof studs comprises bending or flexing of the plurality of studs.
 15. Thenon-skid container of claim 11, wherein a rotation of the plurality ofstuds causes a deflection of the outer bowl and the inner bowl.
 16. Thenon-skid container of claim 15, further comprising: a splash guardconfigured to be coupled to the inner bowl, wherein an inner edge of thesplash guard extends over a top opening of the inner bowl.
 17. Thenon-skid container of claim 16, wherein, when the deflection of theinner bowl causes liquid contents of the inner bowl to move, the splashguard prevents spillage of the liquid contents out of the inner bowl.18. A non-skid container, comprising: a base portion including a flatportion and a plurality of studs, wherein the flat portion of the baseportion is constructed of a material having a first durometer hardness(Shore A) and the plurality of studs of the base portion are constructedof a material having a second durometer hardness (Shore A), wherein thesecond durometer hardness is greater than the first durometer hardness;an outer bowl including a sidewall, a plurality of posts, a top opening,a bottom opening and a recess, wherein the posts are configured to becoupled to the studs, thereby coupling the outer bowl to the baseportion; and an inner bowl configured to be coupled to the outer bowl byinserting the inner bowl into the recess of the outer bowl.
 19. Thenon-skid container of claim 18, wherein the flat portion of the baseportion is constructed of a material having a durometer hardness (ShoreA) in the range of 5-45.
 20. The non-skid container of claim 18, whereinthe plurality of studs of the base portion are constructed of a materialhaving a durometer hardness (Shore A) in the range of 45-90.